A computer network system has one or more host network servers connected to serve data to one or more client computers over a network. Clients send requests for data and/or services to the servers over the network. The servers process the requests and return responses to the clients back over the network.
In the Internet setting, the clients typically execute a browser program that submits requests using conventional HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) request commands. Each Internet server runs a Web server software program that accepts HTTP requests and returns data in the form of Web pages or documents. The Web pages are commonly written in HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markup language) and may include text, images, sound, video, active code, and so forth. The server transmits the Web pages back to the requesting client using standard HTTP response commands. The client browser renders the Web page into human-perceptible forms.
The Web pages and other program files, such as Active Server Pages (ASP) applications or custom programs, are stored and organized at the server in directories. Each Web site consists of one or more directories that contain the content files (typically the home page, images, etc) and programs. In general, a site administrator can define two different types of directories: physical directories and virtual directories. A physical directory is subdirectory of the Web site's specified, or home, directory. A virtual directory is any directory not contained within the home directory. Virtual directories are typically used to specify different URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) for different parts of the Web site.
Site administrators have traditionally used local server-based administrative tools to browse and configure the files and directories. The administrators are typically present at the server and can easily browse and configure the directories using a familiar user interface. Many administrative tools that are available today also support remote administration that allows an administrator to browse and lo configure directories on the server from a remote computer on the network, rather than from the server itself.
Web site administrators would like to be able to configure the site directories from a remote client over the Internet. However, remote administration over the Internet raises a host of problems. One problem concerns the inability to browser the server's physical files and directories from a remote computer over the Internet. There is no reliable means of determining what physical files and directories are located on the Web server. A remote administrator can enter a virtual path name, such as a URL like "www.microsoft.com.backslash.applications", but the administrator has no ability to browse the physical directories on the Web server file system, such as documents listed in the physical directory "C:.backslash.". To view specific physical directories and set valid configuration parameters, a remote administrator must know the entire path and exact name of the file on the server in advance.
Another problem that compounds the difficulty of remote administration of the Internet is that many Web sites implement firewall protection that blocks many types of inquiries from reaching the Web server. Typically, firewall software only permits HTTP requests to pass through to the Web server, while blocking other requests. In addition, the proxy server also prevents machines from inside the firewall from directly communicating with, or seeing, the client browser, thus making authentication very difficult. While conventional administrative tools support remote administration over local networks, they do not solve the problem of browsing directories over an HTTP firewall/proxy server.
Another concern is security. Allowing access to a Web site's files and configuration parameters may be dangerous in the absence of high security and authentication procedures.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a remote administration tool that enables remote management of a server's file directory over the Internet, through a firewall, and in a secure manner.